In Enemy Control
by Star-07
Summary: When an unknown weapon attacks a Thunderbird while in space, can the crew get home safely? Mild language use only. STATUS - COMPLETE
1. A simple error

In Enemy Control 

Tikatu deserves so much credit for this story as it was un-readable last time, and has been corrected by her, so thank you. And thank-you for the reviews last time but the story does read better now. 

When an unknown weapon attacks a Thunderbird while in space, can the craft crew get home safely, without jeopardizing themselves or others? 

A simple error 

"Are you just going to watch that all day?" John Tracy yelled to his younger brother, Alan. He had been tuned into the British Grand Prix since he had fixed the visual display on International Rescue's space station, located on the edge of the Earth's atmosphere.

"Yep. Come on, kiddo, you're supposed to be helping." Scott joined in with John's calls to get Alan to do some work. 

"All right, I was just checking to see if the visual displays were working." Alan stood up as the moaning from his older brothers continued, telling him to get on and help with mending TB5.

"Dad didn't send us up here for a fly-around, Al, remember." stated Scott, who, in their father's place, was taking on the 'I'm the boss role'. He picked up some wires and screws and walked back to the control area. 

Alan followed his oldest brother to help him mend the damaged circuitry on the communication display, so that TB 5 would come back into operation. She had malfunctioned after some electrical wires sparked and damaged some of the main communication apparatus, needed for the receiving of emergency calls, so that the world's most famous and heroic rescue team could be launched in action.

"So what exactly happened, Johnny? All we got from Dad was that Al and I needed to come help you fix a simple malfunction in the communication system. He wouldn't say anything else, just that we needed to get going." Scott explained the events of the past 4 hours to his younger brother. 

"Well I was working on my next book, about the 'Tracy comet' and I was picking the best images from my telescope to put into my book, when there was the usual bleeping from the communication panel saying someone needed help. However, when I opened the channel there was only a strange signal coming along the radio waves. The next thing I knew the communication system blows up." 

"We're just grateful you're okay. Don't worry about the damage, it's nearly fixed. Another hour and we will be done." Scott smiled softly at his brother. Like all the boys, each one was protective of his own personal ship or craft. 

"Are you sure you weren't reading your book out loud on the radio waves and you just bored the system to death?" Alan quizzed humorously in the background with the cheekiest grin on his baby face. 

"Boring.. right you little s.." John rose from his knees with a spanner in his hand about to go after his baby brother, when a call from base came through. 

"Rescued again, little bro, but one day you're going to have to stop relying on others to save you." John complained as he began to open the newly-working communication system to base.  

Scott collected up the tools used to fix the equipment. He was pleased that TB5 was operational again, and that Alan was going the right way with John to get himself thrown out of the nearest airlock. Although still he had an odd feeling, but he shrugged it off as tiredness. After all, there had been a lot of rescues lately.  

"Is everything okay, John? You three have been fixing her for a while now." John's father's distinct, powerful voice boomed through the speakers.

"Yep she is working now, Dad. I'm going to start to analyse that message that I received before everything failed, and I will sent it down to Brains for him to have a look. See if it had anything to do with the damage. But I don't see how or why it could, Dad." John replied, looking slightly oil covered and mucky from fixing TB5, and not his usual smartly suited self.  

"Okay, son, well done. Tell Scott and Alan I will expect them in a couple of hours. Base out." Jeff ended the communication with his middle son while his mind was occupied with the weird happenings of the day.

"You okay, Dad?" Gordon chirped in from behind a speedboat magazine.

"Yes, Dad, is TB5 ok? You look worried." Virgil stopped playing and turned to face is father.

"No, boys, nothing wrong. I'm just wondering why there would be a communication sent, but no message." Jeff explained his query to his Earth-bound sons. 

"Well, we will find out soon enough when Brains examines it. Don't worry, Dad, why don't you come have some cookies and a coffee with us take your mind away from TB5." Virgil as always tried to relax everyone.

"Good idea, son. It will be nothing, I'm sure."

Meanwhile, in the deep jungle of Malaysia, a beautiful golden temple looked as if it were a peaceful, calming reverie from the tropic jungle surrounding it. However, this particular temple held one of the world's most wanted men, and the man who was determined to destroy International Rescue.

"Master, I don't understand. Why did you just sent a weak signal when you could have done so much more?" A servant questioned his master's logic in his plan to destroy International Rescue once and for all.

"If you were as clever as me you would know that I have finally found the weakness in International Rescue." A voice boomed around the golden walls.

"But sir, y-you have had me create weeks of rescues for International Rescue but never have you tried to destroy or capture them." 

"That is because no more will I wait for International Rescue to come to me. I am going to make their ending look so simple, so professional, and the first part of my plan is a complete success. Stage two is yet seconds away. This time I will destroy International Rescue!" the Hood vowed. 

                                                *************


	2. A weakness detected

**In Enemy control **

**Chapter 2 – A weakness detected**

************************************************************

"God, it sure is quiet up here." Scott announced, while stirring a large, strong, black coffee. Nearly all the Tracy boys had been drinking coffee for days on end, trying to make up for the very few hours sleep they were getting due to the increased numbers of rescues that were needed all over the world. 

"You should try it for a month on end." A gloomy reply came from the younger blond, in a similar position on the opposite end of TB5, staring over the planet they work so hard to protect. John and Scott shared a quick glance, they knew that, unlike John, Alan didn't like to be in Thunderbird 5 at all and much preferred the action side of the rescues. 

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I wouldn't mind a bit of peace and quiet. There has been rescue after rescue lately. Barely any of us are getting any sleep." Scott smiled, and Alan confirmed John's point by rubbing restlessly at his temples.

Scott sighed "Yep. Well, let's hope it's all quiet for a bit, we all could do with a break. I have even started to miss Gordon playing his usual tricks on everyone, but, erm, don't tell him." 

"Right. I'd better get back to work, and you two need to get home or you'll miss dinner, and Grandma will have your heads." John placed his now empty coffee cup on the table and went to check on the communication display.

"Yep, you're right ,Johnny. Alan, you ready?" Scott snapped his eyes away from the stars.

"We had better head home before anything else happens." Scott left his cup on the side and turned to face the brother to whom he had addressed his question. 

"Al, you with us, kid?"

Scott stepped slowly over to his baby brother and put a protective arm around him. Just like he had done so many times after a bad dream or a lighting storm in years before. 

"What…erm, yep, sure." Alan snapped back to reality suddenly when he noticed his most protective brother's arm around him.

"Alan, you didn't even hear what Scott said." John pointed out as he stopped checking the system and turned his full attention to the brother he sees the least.

"I did!" Alan returned in a slightly edgy tone to his middle brother.

"And don't call me 'kid'." Alan pulled away from his oldest brother and co-pilot of TB3. My so-called 'baby-sitter', thought Alan, as he began to walk to the airlock. 

"Right then, John. I'll see you in about 2 weeks, isn't it?" Scott quizzed as he entered TB3, walking past his youngest brother. 

"Yep, it is. Bye, Scott! Thank Grandma for the food." John smiled at his oldest brother as he disappeared into IR's spaceship. Alan planned to follow in Scott's path until his similar-looking brother pulled him back. 

"Al."

"Yep?" Alan was forced to turn and face his brother due to the grip on his arm. 

"I'll see you soon, ok." Both brothers knew that this meeting had been the longest they had spent together for a while, as swapping shifts every month had drastically limited their time together. 

Alan looked deep the blue eyes that stared at him. He pulled John into a hug and replied simply, "I miss you too."

Scott had gone to chase up Alan when he had heard his brothers talking. Neither really complained about not seeing each other, as there was little they could do to change it. Scott had other ideas from seeing them together, as it was a very important aspect of International Rescue that all brothers stayed close. Nearly every week they relied on each other for support, whether it was emotional or tactical.

"Right. Let's go, Scott." Alan was surprised at first to find his brother standing just around the corner, as he had swiftly let go of his blond brother and approached TB3, until he thought about it. Scott always knew everything, and Alan had thought it had to do with his listening in to every conversation, which he now confirmed. 

John sealed the airlock and waved as TB3's pilots headed for the control room. 

"Brains, Brains, you in here?" 

"Yes-s, but b-b-be careful, V-V-Virgil. I have got lots of e-e-equipment out." IR's genius, and inventor of the Thunderbird machines didn't even turn around from a large bank of electrical equipment on the far wall of his lab. 

"Are you ok? You sound a little worried." The brown eyes of TB2's pilot looked with concern for his friend, as Brains was working intensely even as he spoke to him.

"Of c-c-course V-Virgil. I'm j-j-just busy." Brains again replied.

Virgil, being deeply caring and slightly stubborn (probably from all the previous years of looking after his two youngest brothers nearly every day while their father way at work), walked over and looked into the scientist's eyes. 

"Now I know something's wrong. Brains, you're on edge and you only do that when your worried, very worried. What's wrong?" Virgil was determined to get it out of Brains, as he feared it might have something to do with International Rescue. 

"V-V-Virgil, i-its-s t-t-that m-message. O-or to b-be m-more s-specific, t-that s-signal." Brains looked at Virgil with concern.

"W-why d-don't you get G-Gordon. I-Il tell y-you b-both" Brains turned back to his computer to collect the data he would need to explain his disturbing theory. 

"Virgil, I was about to go for a swim and I'm not up for a boring science lesson." The younger aquanaut groaned as Virgil dragged him down the lab stairs. 

"Just come on. Brains needs to tell us something." Virgil pushed gently his red haired brother in the lab. 

"Okay, Brains, go ahead." Virgil was anxious to find out what Brains had been so concerned about.

"W-well, I-I b-believe t-that s-s-someone k-knows t-the l-location o-of T-Thunderbird 5." Brains looked straight at the brothers.

"WHAT? Brains, that impossible, isn't it?" Virgil was shocked and Gordon was completely stunned.

"Why, how do you know that?" Gordon jumped in, suddenly paying complete attention.

"Wait, I think we better tell Dad and then you can explain it all. I've got a bad feeling about this." Virgil looked worriedly around at the younger men and then turned to go find his father. 

"My plan is working perfectly, I will destroy International Rescue and Jeff Tracy's precious sons without them even knowing it's me." The man dressed in lavish clothes walked towards his control panel in his golden temple in Malaysia, and was about to put into action a machine that had taken a long time to build ,but would be worth it, as it could destroy any IR ship in a single minute. 

"Unlike the times before, when I have tried to hit the rescue crafts on the ground and set traps up to create destruction, this time I will hit them at the beginning of a long chain of actions, which start in space." 

The spiteful voice and wicked eyes of the Hood expelled the satisfaction in his mind. One button would cause an accident that even International Rescue couldn't save. There's no escape in space. 

"Your end is here, International Rescue" the Hood spat. 

"Right. We're ready, departing now." Alan repeated. As he had so many times before, he skillfully removed his 'red rocket' from the docking bay of TB5.

"Setting course for home. Destination: Tracy Island. Landing at 17:00 hours." The darker-haired Tracy called from his seat next to his baby brother. 

"Departure complete. I'm swinging her around. See ya soon, John." Alan called into the radio.

"FAB. Bye Al, Scott." John called as he sat at his communication display watching them leave.

Seconds later, and very unexpectedly, both radio's in TB3 and 5 cracked into life, and a sharp, strict voice was heard. Neither ship heard any more than the first few words of a frightening message as International Rescue's members where knocked violently unconscious by the force of an explosion. 

In one craft in particular, things were only going to get worse. 

**************************************************


	3. An evil plot

**Chapter 3 - An evil plot**

On Tracy Island all looked calm and tranquil. As usual, Jeff Tracy sat at his desk from where he organised the world most famous rescue organisation. But right now he was worried, very worried about the security of IR. There had been only a few points of worry about security so far in the nearly 2 years that IR had been running. Once, a small boy had been taken to the Island by accident, and there were 2 incidents in which both TB 1, and TB 2 had been badly damaged and brought down. Only 1 man had caused a consistent worry to IR, and he went by the name of the Hood. The Hood had tried and failed to capture IR technology, but he was not a man to give up. Jeff Tracy was worried that he had plans for something now. 

"International Rescue calling Thunderbird 3 and 5, are you receiving me?" Jeff's voice was strong, but there was an edge of worry coming through in every attempt to call the spacecrafts. 

"Dad, something must have happened. The first call you made got though to both TB 3 and 5, but then both radios went dead before you finished telling them that someone knows their location." Virgil's voice was strong, as he perched on the edge of his father's desk, but his deep brown eyes showed great concern for his astronaut brothers.

"Dad, we can't just sit here and do nothing." 

"Let Virgil and I take TB2 up to the edge of the atmosphere and try and locate them." Gordon pleaded with his father.

"No, until we know what has happened, I can't risk launching a Thunderbird." Jeff so desperately wanted to know what was happening on the perimeter of Earth where TB 5 was located, but he couldn't risk it.  

"Brains, anything from either Thunderbird's control systems?" Brains looked bleak and everyone in the room could see it.

"It s-seems m-m-my t-t-theory w-was r-right M-Mr Tracy. TB5's systems are r-r-registering s-s-severe damage, b-b-but life s-s-support is f-functioning f-f-for now." Brains had tried to relate some positive news to the family of 3 Tracy men.

"So, what did TB 5 register?" Gordon asked in a worried voice, a total contrast to his usual upbeat self.

Tin-Tin showed Mr. Tracy the results from scanning TB5, done by using the other operation station there was on the Island. Tin-Tin had promised herself she was going to remain strong andto help as much with her technical skills as possible, as she had helped to engineer the Thunderbird machines, too. However, deep down she was petrified, not knowing what had happened to 2 men who had been her surrogate brothers, and the man she loved.    

"Well, Brains was right. The small message, or what John thought was a message, sent to TB5 earlier was actually an energy beam.

"Y-yes, M-Mr. T-Tracy. I-I once read about a-a m-machine t-that w-was d-designed to sent a p-pulse of energy, t-that w-would cause g-great damage w-w-when it h-h-hit something. H-however, i-it was b-banned f-from b-being c-created, d-due t-to it b-being s-so d-dangerous t-to unknown s-ships or c-crafts. A-a s-single l-large p-pulse c-could d-destroy a s-ship." 

Brains felt like he had fired that beam as the shock of what could have happened sunk in.  

"We have to speculate that it locked on to its target appearing to be a radio wave, and somehow a energy signal was sent through it which caused the small amount of damage to Thunderbird 5's communication array." Tin-Tin had noticed with every word everyone was looking more concerned. 

"So what's happened now? Alan and Scott went up to fix that fault, and they did." Virgil questioned, hoping the answer would help them find out why no one was answering their calls.

"We don't know." Tin-Tin said with a heavy heart.

"But it's highly likely whoever did this the first time, sent a stronger pulse this time." 

Gordon looked at Virgil with a hint of panic in his eyes. Like all the brothers, each one tried to protect the one below them and look up to the ones above them, but right now Virgil and Gordon only had each other. 

"So what type of damage could have been caused?" Jeff asked with his head in his hands, secretively knowing the answer, but praying he was wrong. 

"I'm not sure, but we do know which Thunderbird the beam hit." Tin-Tin breathed deeply.

"And it has caused a great deal of damage."

"Could this have possibly gone any better?" The Hood asked himself as he sipped champagne. 

"NO, ha, ha, ha!" An evil laugh was heard ringing around his vast temple. "Your end is near International Rescue. I am in control now!" 

He put down his glass and walked over to the device which had served him well, a computer linked to a satellite, which had taken months to build, but even longer to detect where Thunderbird 5 was. The Hood was a clever man, and had in the last month caused vast amounts of disasters just so that messages would be sent to Thunderbird 5. And with every radio wave sent, the Hood had gotten closer to finding Thunderbird 5. They had hidden her well, he gave credit to International Rescue for that, but they were, the Hood thought, no match for him. Although the best bit was discovering that Thunderbird 3 made monthly visits to Thunderbird 5, transfering those sons of his to and from Earth. 

"I picked the perfect time. I destroyed it. I'm sure of it." The Hood grinned.

"Master, there's no evidence you did destroy the ship at all." The Hood's 'servant' informed his master. He himself had been continually sent these past months to set the disasters into motion. 

"SILENCE!" The Hood menaced, as he didn't know yet what had happened.  

Up in the cold, black, expanse of space, gentle breathing was heard and slight movement from in the craft.  

"O-h, G-g-god, m-my h-h-head." The blond lifted his head that had collided with the cold floor. 

"W-what h-happened?" He asked to no one in particular, as his beautiful eyes tried to discover why his craft was blackened and silent.

On Tracy Island, Jeff Tracy sat at his desk with his head in his hands. On the other side of the room ,Virgil sat with an arm around Gordon. Jeff tried to stay positive and had asked both Tin-Tin and Brains to find the source of the beam, but all that he, Virgil, and Gordon could do was wait. 

Jeff looked up at the portraits of his oldest, middle, and youngest and whispered, "My sons." 


	4. The fear of the unknown

The fear of the unknown 

He tried to check every part of his body, to make sure he hadn't broken anything in the impact with the floor. 

_"Ok, I don't think I have broken anything."_ he told himself.

The blond astronaut moved on to his feet before attempting to remember why he had woken on the floor of his craft with an aching head. 

_"What happened?"_ he asked himself as he swiftly walked over to the communication display, or what was left of it, to try and answer his question. Rapidly seeing that wasn't going to work, he put his training into action. He quickly checked the life support system, and for structural damage to the spacecraft. 

_"Thank God for that."_ A sigh of relief was breathed when he saw only minor damage to the structure and no damage to the oxygen supply. 

_"Right. Next step." _

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. Jeff Tracy slammed his pen, which he had been using to pass the time, on to his desk.  

 "I can't take anymore. I need to know what's going on up there." Jeff voiced his frustration to the occupants of the Island. He was about to get out of his seat when a familiar bleeping rang around the room.  

Jeff lifted his head and held his breath as he opened the channel to his son whose eyes were flashing. 

"JOHN, are you all right?" Jeff found himself letting out a long gasp of air, as his body filled with relief of seeing his child alive. 

"Erm, well, yes. I'm not injured. I can't say the same for Thunderbird 5, but, what the hell happened?" John could instantly see the relief of his family in seeing him, but was anxious for his answer. 

"We're not really sure, but Brains and Tin-Tin fear someone may know Thunderbird 5's location." Virgil filled his younger sibling in. 

"We will deal with that in a minute, I haven't heard from Thunderbird 3. Is she okay?" Jeff questioned his son.

"What do you mean? I-I thought they got away, I never really-y." John stumbled over his words; suddenly remembering their departure was only seconds before the explosion. 

"No, they haven't called in. John, can you scan the area?" Jeff found himself suddenly tense at what his middle son had said. Both of them had assumed Thunderbird 3 had gotten away okay.   

John felt his blood run cold, as he looked at how damaged TB5 was. 

.

"What's happening, have you heard from them?" Jeff looked up as Brains and Tin-Tin entered the room.

"John's okay, he's checking for TB3." Virgil explained to them, as John's blond, and now pale face appeared on the screen again. 

"Dad, I can't get main power online yet." John sounded a total contrast to his usual strong-voiced self. 

"All right, John, calm down. Try and look out of the window. Brains is going to try and sort out how to get main power back online." Jeff tried to relax his son even through he was scared stiff himself. 

"Okay, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to see anything." John had never felt so strange. TB5 was completely silent, there was no hum of the air filter or buzz of the communication system, only the swift beating of his own heart. 

"Dad, I can't really see anything. No, wait, I…" As the source of all power in our solar system cast its brilliant light on to something metal, John breathed in deeply and sharply. 

"John, John, what is it? What can you see?" Jeff, Virgil and Gordon, were about to snap at the quietest member of the family. 

"D-dad, Thunderbird 3 looks adrift. It looks like there's been a large explosion, damaging her side. I can just see her engines and the bottom letters of 'THUNDERBIRD 3'." John voice was quiet and soft, and all on Tracy Island could feel the worry in it. 

Virgil grabbed the side of Jeff's desk as John spoke, Gordon turned very pale and Tin-Tin and Brains were just in shock. Jeff knew his next question would either bring into life his worse fears, or put them back into his nightmares until another heart-stopping day. 

"Is her hull intact?" As a fellow astronaut Jeff knew no one could survive the vacuum of space without a suit. 

"I think so, I can't really tell." John's words expressed his frustration of not knowing. 

"Right. John, start working on getting main power back online. Brains will help you from his lab. Tin-Tin, Virgil, I need to know where this signal's from; it's the only way to know how to deal with the problem ,and it may tell us what's happening in TB3." Jeff dished out the orders, pushing his worry to the bottom of his mind and filling it with jobs to save his sons instead. 

"Gordon, you and Iare going to send the electric signals to Scott's and Alan's watches." As usual, Jeff's orders saw everyone doing as they were told. 

"That's 8 times we have sent this now, Dad. Why don't they answer?" Gordon's eyes dipped and his panic showed through as he perched on his father's desk. 

"Hey, come here." Gordon found himself in his father's arms in a deep, meaningful hug. 

"They'll be ok, won't they?" Gordon asked his father, as if he was a child again. Right now he had none of his usual support system around him, that support system being his brothers. 

Jeff looked deep into his one of his younger son's eyes and tried to give words of comfort but he found none. He had never seen Gordon or Virgil like this, and it worried him. 

"Let's keep trying, okay?" Jeff released his red-haired son, and turned back to the panel behind his desk. 

_"Oh God, even Dad's losing hope."_ Gordon thought as he sent a series of shocks into his oldest brother's watch.

"Damn it!" John punched the metal struts of TB5 with his anger.

"Calm d-down John, breaking your hand won't do S-Scott and Alan a-any bloody g-good, w-will it?" The usually tolerant scientist was losing it with his friend. Both had been trying for nearly 4 hours straight to get main power online in the giant space station. 

"Maybe we should take a break w.." Brains couldn't even finish his wise suggestion before John butted in. 

"I CAN'T do that! We have to get her back online to help Alan and Scott." John breathed deeply. It was really getting cold on TB5 without power, but John wasn't about to complain.

"I owe Scott so much. After our mum died, he did everything for us, especially me because I was so upset. I can't let him down when he needs me! And Alan's my little brother; I miss him enough anyway. I can't let either of them down, and I won't, not now." John explained as much to himself as to Brains why he was so desperate to know his brothers' conditions. 

"You k-know, John, I have no s-siblings by blood, b-but when I s-s-see you five t-together I wish I h-had. John, A-Alan and Scott know how hard you'r ew-working to s-save them, b-because its e-exactly what they w-would be doing if t-they were in your p-position." Brains words filtered around TB5 feeling like a blanket on John and his riot of emotions.  

"Thanks, Brains, but I think I'm going to try and keep you annoyed at me because you don't stutter as much." John smiled his thanks to one of his best friends. 

"Let's get this baby working. I'm going to try just to get half the power through the main systems and leave out the minor ones. We'll deal with them later." 

"Good i-idea, J-John. Try a-and push all her power t-though one o-of h-her p-power g-generators, and l-lets s-see w-what we g-get." Brains really hoped this would work because they were out of options. 

"Come on, baby." John prayed.

"Brains, she's coming online! We did it." John and Brains felt a momentary wave of relief before concentrating on the next task. 

"M-Mr. Tracy, w-we h-have p-power t-to Thunderbird 5, but only half of her systems a-are w-working." Brains reported as he ran into the lounge. 

"That's great! Well done, boys." 

"John, scan TB3 for life signs." Jeff ordered.

"COME ON, I WANT MY ANSWER" The booming voice yelled out commands.

"I-I j-just don't know sir, she seems to be intact, and they have got some power back." The voice was quiet and petrified. 

"WHAT!" How can this be? It should be destroyed, and Jeff Tracy's son as well!" The Hood was not going to tolerate another failure. 

"Fire the weapon again! Finish the ship off." The Hood ordered.

"Sir, the weapon needs time to re-power. It's already been shot twice." This man now feared for his life knowing the Hood's vast power. 

"It won't be the only one being shot twice if you don't finish International Rescue off." The Hood snatched up the small man and pushed him against the wall.  

"WAIT, you did do something, let me show you." The Hood released his grip on his 'servant'. 

"You see, the exact moment we fired the weapon on Thunderbird 5's power source, Thunderbird 3 was departing from the station." 

"SO?" The Hood was feeling defeat visiting him again. 

"Sir" He stated slowly, worried about the response he would get.

"Instead of hitting the space station we hit the space craft." An evil smirk of happiness spread over the Hood's face. 

"We hit Thunderbird 3?" The 'servant' nodded.

"This is even better than planned! What's the ship's condition?" The Hood's luck had held all along. 

"She looks adrift and she's badly damaged." he replied. 

"When will the weapon be back to full power?" The Hood's mind was set. Two crafts and three of HIS sons would die, and Jeff Tracy will not even know who killed them. 

"Erm…well…t-t-there's a small problem about that." The 'servant' felt the powerful demon eyes of the Hood on him again.

"I don't accept problems." He gripped his 'servant' again. 

"Well, I might have to contact the weapons designer to find out how long it will take to re-power. I only thought it was just the once we were firing." The Hood reached for his weapon. 

"WAIT, but I know another way you can finish International Rescue, and this way it's going to be more painful for the rest of them. Also it will look to the whole world like International Rescue caused the death of innocent people." The Hood smiled

"Tell me more."

"I'm going to have to contact the engineer in England." The fear was subsiding in his voice. 

"Go right ahead, but don't disappoint me." The Hood gestured to the communication display.

"I'm going to finish you, International Rescue." The Hood chuckled. 

After hearing the news from John, Jeff Tracy decided to find out who was behind this plan to destroy IR, and more importantly, his sons. Brains had given him the name of the man who had designed the weapon they thought was used to fired at TB5, and now he was going to get a little International Rescue visit. 

"What are you going to do, Dad?" Gordon quizzed his father.

"I think we need to find out who sent that signal before they do it again." Jeff informed his son. 

"And I have just the person for the job." 

"International Rescue Headquarters calling Lady Penelope in England. Come in, please." 


	5. Against the clock

Chapter 5 -  Against the clock 

****

****

As the early morning sun cast its radiant glow across the lush lawns of one of England's prestigious stately homes, the beautiful British blonde, Lady Penelope, missed it. She had just been informed by her boss and dear friend, Jeff Tracy, that she was needed on a mission for International Rescue, but this time to help save members of International Rescue itself. 

"Parker, get the Rolls out. Destination, Northern England. We have a mission to accomplish." The young woman's soft, cultured tones, informed her butler of their mission.

"Yes milady." The grey-suited butler bowed and exited the room. 

Darkness surrounded the young, handsome pilot as his blue eyes opened and he realized his location. Murmuring slowly as his large, strong hands traced the floor around him, the Tracy son lifted his head and attempted to sit up, before a wave of dizziness overcame him.  

"W-Where a-am I?" The words whispered around the black, sinister ship.

"Oh, God." The eyes of the pilot widened with dismay as he gazed around the command station of the most advanced spacecraft ever made. As fragments of memory swiftly returned, the shock in the pilot's eyes abruptly turned to panic.

"ALAN, where are you?" The dark-haired pilot of both Thunderbirds 1 and 3 tried to stand, even though his head hadn't stopped spinning. The eldest Tracy son, using the damaged control panel and his own desperation, pulled himself over to the other side of the small round room. Scott shifted the pilots' chairs from their upturned position near the lift in a desperate search for his brother. 

"Alan, can you hear me?" Scott, himself injured and coughing from the smoking panels of computers, moved other pieces of debris before uncovering the unconscious youngest Tracy.    

"ALAN, ALAN!" Scott's cobalt eyes looked at the large crack on his little brother's head, and with a shaking hand, Scott pushed his fingers against his baby brother's throat. 

"If you don't talk, I'm going to kill you. It's as simple as that!" the Hood's associate pushed the small, graying man against the back wall of a large scientific lab in an isolated area of Northern England. 

"I won't help you anymore, I don't want to get involved," the aging scientist said in an edgy voice. 

"You're already involved, you created and sold us the weapon." The associate of the Hood had dark eyes that made the scientist tremble.

"I never knew what you and your master were planning. I won't get involved in killing International Rescue members or anyone else!" The proficient scientist was petrified, as his words resulted in a gun being placed near his head. 

"What did you say?" Knowing he had to get information needed about the weapon, or he himself would come under the Hood's evil methods, the man would not accept 'no' for an answer.   

The young looking, darkly clothed man raised his right arm and took aim at the maturing professor. 

"ALL RIGHT, STOP, I'll help you!" The man trembled, and, going against his conscience, spoke out. 

"Now you're being clever. We are not people who take 'no' for an answer, remember that." The scientist stared deeply into the dark eyes of the wicked man before him, as the powerful grip was released from on his arm. 

"What you want isn't possible." The older man walked slowly toward his banks of technical equipment, capable of controlling the satellite. 

"Look, last time we fired the beam at the target, and then sent a very powerful, high energy pulse down it, we caused an explosion on the spacecraft. However, there was not enough power to send another high energy pulse to destroy the rest of the craft." 

The scientist was silently relieved; he had been forced by the Hood to design his weapon to be fixed to a satellite in orbit. However the scientist's relief soon ended as he saw a grin cross his supervisor's face. 

"That's okay, we have another idea how to destroy the craft. You have six hours to modify the weapon so it's ready to fire again." The young man explained the second part of the plan, as he placed his gun in his pocket and turned to watch the scientist work. 

"I told you there's not enough power in the weapon to destroy the ship." The once honourable professor continued his point. 

"That's okay, we are not going to destroy the craft. She'll end up destroying herself and hopefully a few others too. All you need to do is send a series of precisely guided, low energy pulses at the craft." The man clarified as he reached for his radio to explain to the Hood that part two was underway.

Jeff had ordered his two sons, who were safely on Earth, to go to bed. They objected, of course. However, Jeff did prevail and got both Gordon and Virgil to rest. Sleep was a different matter.  

"How are you doing?" Jeff entered Brains' laboratory to see a live feed coming from TB5.

"Slow, M-Mr T-Tracy, s-slow." Brains spoke words of truth, but they were edged with concern. 

"Thunderbird 5 has 40% power to her main systems, but I am having major problems getting the main communication system online. Hopefully I will be able to get it up soon." John's voice showed strain and tiredness, but the determination to help his brothers forced him to continue. 

"We have this problem, too. We cannot move Thunderbird 5 at all yet. Her boosters will take a while to repair." Tin Tin revealed their worry. 

So there is no way to move her now, in case another signal is fired at Thunderbird 5?" Jeff looked worried.

"N-No, M-Mr.. Tracy, there i-isn't, but it's our top priority, along with the scanners and weapons." The blue-spectacled man confirmed.

"John." Jeff firmly turned to look directly at his son, aware of causing an imminent argument. 

"Yes, Dad?" 

"Is the escape pod working?" Jeff could see the instantaneous objection coming from his calmest son. 

"What? Dad, I'm not just going to abandon them!" John snapped at the last thing he needed to hear, the order to abandon his brothers. 

"John, it's my decision what you are to do." Jeff snapped straight into commander mode.  

"Now, is the escape pod working?" There was a strict edge to the question, but under that was deep apprehension for his son. 

"Yes, it's working." Jeff had never heard John so blunt and cold in his words to him before. 

The red-haired Tracy ran swiftly back up the steps from Brains' lab, heading back to his top floor bedroom. He had been searching for his family to find out the latest news on TB3, when he had heard John's and his father's conversation. Gordon was very close to his older blond brother; they would spend hours chatting together while John was in space, and seeing him like that hurt.

"Wow, slow down!" The tanned, dark features of Virgil appeared in front of Gordon. 

"Sorry, Virg." Gordon quietly stated, as his chin fell to his chest. 

"It's okay, but you're not." Virgil put his arm around his younger brother and encouraged him to his bedroom. 

Gordon walked out on to Virgil's balcony, as the gentle warm winds brought relief to the humid atmosphere on the Island. Virgil stood at his glass doors watching the dark shadow of his brother looking up to the sky, waiting for him to explain his feelings. 

"Virg." Gordon turned to face this older brother, both in that moment felt the same: helpless. 

"I know, Gordo, I want to know what's happening up there as well." The most creative Tracy pulled his younger brother into a long hug. 

"Do you think they're okay?" Virgil stared down into the hazel eyes of his brother, and he saw the same dread as he had years before when he was told were their mother would never return. 

"Sure they are, Gordo, sure they are." Virgil tried to comfort his younger brother, but all he wanted was to be comforted by his own older brother.

"Don't worry, Gordo. Scott and Alan will be either looking after each other, or driving each other mad." Both brothers looked at each other and smiled. 

"We're going to get all three of them home safe." Both brothers looked towards the balcony doors, where the deep, concerned voice came from. 

"Dad." Gordon was surprised to see his father watching them. 

"Come here, boys." Jeff opened his arms to hold his sons. He might be their commander, but he was also still their father, and they needed him. 

"Do you promise?" Virgil and Gordon both turned and looked at their father. 

"Yes. Were going to get them home, I swear." Jeff looked up at the diamond-like gems that were scattered over the deep velvet eternity of space; on a night like this they could take anyone's breath away. However, to all on the Tracy Island right now they only gave a great desire to know the condition of their family members. 

"Let's go see how everything is going." Jeff smiled down on his two sons. 

"Master, the second part of the plan is in operation. International Rescue have six hours to live, then we are going to destroy them," he informed his master. 

"Good. I warn you, don't fail me," the Hood threatened. 

"No, Master.." The young servant ended the conversion and turned to the scientist.

"Six hours only."

"Right. I want to know where we are." Jeff Tracy spoke to every member of IR involved in the present situation.

"Well, Dad, I have got the communication system mostly online, and the scanners are just coming online." John explained from space.

"M-Mr. T-Tracy, I-if my t-theory is c-correct the o-only w-way the w-weapon c-could be f-fired is f-from s-space." 

"Well, what about a satellite?" Virgil asked.

"It would need modifying, and would have to be a highly technical satellite, but I think that's where the weapon was fired from." Tin Tin confirmed Virgil's point. 

"I-I agree, M-Mr. T-Tracy. A s-satellite is the o-only way i-it c-could h-have b-been fired i-into s-space." 

"Right. Penny, go pay the weapons designer a visit." Jeff turned to the live feed from FAB 1. 

"Already on it, Jeff. Don't worry. We'll deal with him." The British blonde answered.      

"John, start scanning the satellites and send the data down here, Virgil and Gordon will search for it." 

"We are still working on Thunderbird 5, mostly trying to get her thrusters online so she can move. That would mean that we could move near TB3 and launch the grabs and tow her." Tin Tin explained.

"Great. How long, Brains, till we can do it?" 

"Eight hours, Mr Tracy." 

"


	6. Anything can happen in the next half hou...

In Enemy Control - Chapter 6  Anything can happen in the next half hour 

There is small use of strong language in this chapter. Thanks to Tikatu for my proof reading.  

"Alan! Come on, little one, wake up!" Scott continued to speak to his brother, while tending to his head injury. 

"O-h m-y G-o-d !" Alan began to stir, much to Scott's relief.  

"Al, can you hear me?" Scott sat his younger brother up against the cold metal walls of TB3.

"Just about.. What happened?" Alan said as he opened his beautiful cerulean eyes.   

"I think something hit us." Scott guessed as he cast his eyes at the damaged control area.

"Find out then." Alan suggested to his older brother as he pointed to his watch. 

"I'll do it. You just rest." Scott sat down on the metal floor next to his baby brother, causing him to miss the rolling of Alan's eyes due to his overprotective comment. 

"Thunderbird 3 calling International Rescue, come in please." Both brothers looked at each other, hoping someone at base could answer their questions about what happened. 

"How much longer?" The British scientist was getting fed up with the impatience of the Hood and his partner in crime. 

"I told you, it's going to take me a while. I have to locate the spacecraft, and then move the satellite to make sure they are positioned correctly." 

"Okay, just get on with it. You have four and a half hours left." The man sat back down in his chair at the back of the room, and began to relay the information to the Hood. 

"How it going?" Jeff looked over his son's shoulders at the mass of computer scans locating the positions of high Earth satellites.

"Dad, this is going to take hours, hours we may not have. The people behind this could fire that weapon again." Virgil explained their dilemma. 

  
"Let's see if we can narrow it down then." Jeff sat down in the far side of the lounge near the portraits of his sons, desperately trying to not to look at two portraits in particular. 

"How?" Gordon, the only non-astronaut wondered. 

"If this weapon is positioned on a satellite, and that's the best option for accurate firing, then it must be reasonably close to Thunderbird 5, since it seems that was their target." Virgil agreed with the comment as he selected from the scans satellites that were a capable firing distance from TB5. 

"Well, if we take into account that whoever did this wasn't likely to tell Space Command where their satellite is, it must be a non-registered satellite. That only leaves 15 possibilities." Gordon explained to his father.

"Good. By the time we have checked them out, the weapons on Thunderbird Five should be operational again, and we can blow it out of the sky." Jeff was relieved at the thought. 

"That's right, Mr. Tracy. John is about halfway through fixing both the weapons and the thrusters. It will take just under five hours," the beautiful, dark-featured woman reported as she entered the room. 

"That long? Well, never…" Jeff paused, and a smile of hope spread across his face as a beeping sound rang around the room, coming from Scott's portrait. 

"Go ahead, Thunderbird 3. Are you two okay?" His two sons, both waiting for a positive reply, quickly joined Jeff at his desk.

"Dad, we're okay, or near enough. What happened?" The whole family felt a wave of relief pass through their bodies, and Jeff could barely prevent a smile.

"Thank God for that! We were so worried! Scott, it seems a weapon has been fired at Thunderbird 3, and it looks like it caused an explosion onboard." Jeff stated their theory of the situation to his son.

"What!" A sharp cry, by a very familiar voice, was heard from next to Scott. The voice warmed Tin-Tin's heart. 

"I know, Alan, but our top priority is to get you two safely out of TB3. Now, can you do a damage check?"  Jeff asked.

"We'll have a go, Dad, but it's going to take awhile, it's a mess up here." Scott reported as Brains began to look worried.

"Right, I want a detailed report as soon as possible, Scott, but be careful." The commanding orders with a fatherly touch were carried through the radio waves. 

"FAB, Dad. Is John okay?" Scott asked in his concerned voice. 

"I am now that I know you two are alive." A much more chirpy John Tracy voice was heard in contrast to the apprehensive one before. 

"FAB 1 calling International Rescue headquarters. Lady Penelope speaking. Come in please." As one live link from TB3 ended, another from England came in. 

"Go ahead, Penny." Penelope could sense the happier tone in Jeff's voice. 

"I am 2 hours away from the site from which Brains thinks the satellite is being controlled. Have you any news?" The young woman was just as worried about her dear friends as any of the family. 

"I just heard from Scott and Alan. They're not badly hurt and are checking the ship." Jeff briefed his friend on the recent news.

"Oh! That's wonderful, Jeff! I will radio in again when we reach our destination." With that the blonde beauty signed off. 

Jeff Tracy sat for a moment with his head in his hands and breathed deeply, but the smell of hot coffee pulled him up straight again.

"Thank you, Kryano." The graying man did so appreciate his wise friend.   

"Your sons will be fine, Mr. Tracy. You will prevail." The smartly-dressed man bowed and returned to the kitchen. 

"I hope so." Jeff prayed. 

"Oh, shit! That hurt." Alan cursed as he attempted to stand.

"Hey, take it easy, and watch your mouth." Scott tried to steady himself and his brother as they moved around the ship.  

Both brothers had bad head injuries and were coughing from the smoke that filled the air, not to mention shivering from the freezing temperatures.

"God, it's cold." Scott breathed as he attempted to get a console online. 

"Scott, it looks like we have some power in the secondary reserves, because we clearly have gravity and secondary lighting. We're still drifting though and I don't think we have enough power to bring her under control, not even manually. " The heavy shadows cast by secondary power lights made TB3 look even more damaged and mysterious. 

"Well, that's something, but the main communication systems is fried. We're going to have to use our watches. And without main power we can't move; we're totally adrift." Scott stopped as he heard Alan snigger in the background. 

"What the hell could be funny, Alan?" Scott said in disbelief as he turned to face his brother. 

"Scott, what you just said was the good news. We only came up here to fix John's problem, we should have left him to it." 

"You know, Al, you're sure bad luck. You're always the one in trouble." Scott laughed, despite the circumstances they were in. "Even when you were little I had to come save you from everything, including Dad." 

"Good, that's what you're here for, to 'baby-sit' me, remember?" Alan said as he checked for TB3's actual location.

"Scott, seriously, this isn't good. We have no power, the escape pods are only at half power, and even if we got them to full power we'd probably be blown out of the sky by that weapon. I don't see how things could get any worse." Alan and Scott's blue eyes met across the cold, dark room, and shared the same worry.       

"Tin-Tin, can you give me a readout on the weapons' power level?" John said as he appeared, backing out from a panel under a display console, his hands full of tools.

"Erm, sure, John, they're still fusing and not even at half power yet. We're going to have to re-route some more power to the weapons. It's going to take another hour or so." Tin-Tin said in a slightly depressed voice. 

"Not again! We've been at it for nearly three and a half hours!" John's voice was getting more annoyed, and tiredness was showing through. 

"I know, John, but we're nearly there once the weapons are online. Then we can blow that bloody satellite away, and all three of you will be safe." Tin-Tin's words tried to sooth John's emotions. 

"I know. Thanks, Tin-Tin." John smiled his thanks at his friend, and tried to return the relaxing words.

"He will be okay, you know." John saw the sadness hinting in her eyes.

"What?" 

"Alan. We'll bring him home." Tin-Tin looked at John.

"I just know something's going to go wrong, and I love him."

John laughed.

"We noticed that; well, everyone apart from Alan did. So, let's have another go at those weapons and try and bring those space cowboys home." Both cheered up slightly at the thought. 

"How much longer?" The Hood was getting impatient. He wanted International Rescue finished. 

"Master, the satellite has been programmed and it has been moved into the correct position in orbit. In less than an hour the weapon will fire. It will fire 3 precision shots at the craft and I think that will be enough help from us. Thunderbird 3 should go in the direct path we want and hit our other target." An evil smirk crossed both of their faces. 

"Well done, Agent 9. Now leave and come back to my hide-out." The Hood ordered.

"What about the scientist?" He quietly questioned his master.

"Leave him." The Hood felt victory coming his way as he ended the conversation. 

The old scientist looked into the eyes of the evil man standing next to him and tried to turn and run, but he received a large blow to the back of the head.

Meanwhile, on the boundary of our beautiful home planet, radio station 589's satellite orbited in its usual position. The two radio DJ's, and their engineer, David, had just come off the air from their five hour show. 

"God, I never knew the Earth would look so peaceful from up here." The dark-haired DJ said, looking down on the planet below. He had never been in space before this job. 

"I know. I'm going to miss it when we go back to Earth next month." The younger man, who was sorting the songs out for their next show, said.

"I know. I don't think I am going to look forward to re-entry." 

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, that's next month. Let's just relax for now. " 

"You're right, mate. Let's put some tunes on." 

Meanwhile, not too far away, also on the rim of space, the most advanced spacecraft ever built drifted around. 

"We'd better radio in." Alan said as he breathed deeply and cuddled his body, causing Scott to narrow his eyes. 

"You feeling all right, Alan?" Scott hesitated to call home and walked over and tried to hold his brother. 

"Fine." Alan answered impassively and then turned to face his brother. 

"What does that look mean?" Alan snapped as he moved away from his overprotective brother.

"That means I know you're lying, so there's no point hiding it." Scott, himself feeling the ill effects of the cold and a headache the size of Texas, had a touch of resentment in his voice.  

"Okay, I'm probably feeling as crappy as you, but don't you dare treat me like a four-year-old, Scott!" Alan raged as his innocent face was replaced with an infuriated one. 

"That's my job, Alan, to make sure you're okay." Scott yelled back just as much, as no one in the cold depths on space could hear them.

The eldest and youngest Tracy sons had a very close relationship despite the near 10-year age difference, but the subject of age would always cause an argument between them.  Scott, like his father, gave Alan no responsibility whatsoever and was far too overprotective as far as Alan was concerned. That, plus Scott's thoughts about Alan's major recklessness and youthfulness for some jobs was a dangerous mix in an argument.  

"What? No, Scott, that not you're f…" Alan stopped as a bleeping noise came from Scott's watch. 

"Go ahead, Dad." Jeff sensed a touch of edge in his eldest son's voice. 

"How's TB3?" 

"We have looked at what we can, Dad, but we are only on secondary power. There is no way we can get the engines repaired from in here, and the risk is too great to go outside. The oxygen tanks seem not to be damaged and carbon dioxide levels are tolerable for now. We can't pilot her at all, Dad, or at least not without extreme risk." Scott relayed a negative report to all on Tracy Island. 

"Our only option is to move Thunderbird 5 to you then. She and her grabs should be able to stop you from drifting. After that, I'm sending Thunderbird 2 up into orbit to help you out." Jeff, Tin-Tin, and Brains had agreed that this was the only option. 

"First, we have to destroy that weapon on the satellite." Gordon added as he smiled at seeing his brothers again. 

"We have just located the satellite, Scott, and it doesn't look good. She's far too close for my liking." 

"John, how long until weapons are online? 

"30 minutes, Dad." John said as he switched tools and went back to work. 

"Okay, John.. Scott, Alan, just sit tight and wait for us, and keep this channel open." 

"FAB, Dad."  

"I think everything's going all right now, Dad." Virgil said in a very relieved tone. 

"Anything can happen in the next half-hour." Jeff whispered as Gordon and Virgil exchanged glances. 

At the same time, International Rescue's powerful enemy, the Hood, sat in his golden throne in his sumptuous temple with his eyes fixed on one point in the whole room. On his computer terminal he had programmed the countdown to the firing of the weapon. 

"You have twenty minutes to live, International Rescue."  

I nicked a phase from 'Stingray' in this chapter.  Please Review!


	7. Winning the battle or the war?

Winning the battle or the War? – In Enemy Control 

Thanks Tikatu for the corrections and help

"Come on, baby." 

John's breathing was swift and shallow; cold sweat made his blond locks stick to his pale, ill-looking face as his hands trembled to fix and wire parts together. The secondary lighting barely helped and the torch on his left hand kept sending blinding beacons of light into his blue, anxious eyes. Still he fought on.  He wasn't going to let his brothers down not now, not ever. Those thoughts ran through his mind as his eyes cast down and captured a glistening of metal from the silver chain around his neck. 

The red backup lighting cast dreary shadows around the control room in Thunderbird 3, the red light only magnifying the damaged equipment and twisted metal that was scattered over the cold metal floor of the ship. The two Tracy brothers sat next to each other, but for body heat alone, as the temperature in the ship was getting unbelievably cold.  Since snapping at each other over Scott's worrying, neither had said anything. The ship may have been freezing but the atmosphere was red hot, and the tension was getting to be too much for the youngest Tracy. 

"I'm sorry, okay!" Alan pulled his IR uniform-covered knees up to his chest and put his impulsive head on them. 

Scott cast a look at the blond-haired brother next to him and breathed a heavy sigh. 

"Me, too. I was just trying to protect you." Alan would never understand how protective Scott felt over his youngest brother. It was a deep feeling of love almost like what a parent has over their children. 

"I know. Thanks, Scott, you're always there for me." There was such a sincerity reflected to Scott from Alan's eyes he couldn't help but smile. 

"Come here, kiddo." Scott put his arms around his baby brother and suddenly felt the coldness of Alan's skin coming through his shirt. 

"Your body is freezing but your temperature is sky high." Scott assessed worriedly as he held his brother, placing one of his large hands on Alan's head. 

"Yes, and you're probably not much better. We may have enough oxygen but unless we have got a rainforest hidden in a part of TB3 that I haven't seen, we are both going to get a lot sicker." Alan spoke his worry to his older brother as his pushed away the hand on his head. 

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked, slightly confused, considering if the fever had gotten to his brain.

"Carbon dioxide, Scott. We're getting poisoned with every breath we take." Alan looked straight at his brother whose face was cast in a red glow making his features darker. 

"Shit! What else could bloody happen?" Scott cursed this journey and felt a desperate need for a strong drink. 

After a long silence an edgy voice asked out of the darkness. "Scott, the boys are going to be able to help us, aren't they?"

Scott's head instantly moved to face Alan in the eyes. 

"Of course. We're a team. Remember that." Scott said the words and pulled out from under his shirt a silver chain. 

The Tracy boys themselves were very rich from whichever career they pursued before IR, but the simple things made them happy. The chain, and its charm, was an idea thought up by Virgil just weeks before IR started operations. Virgil had suggested they needed something that connected all five of them, as until IR started they hadn't spent that long apart from each other, and the others boys had agreed it was a good idea. Gordon had designed the item that was to place them all together and show that they would always be there for each other no matter what, and apart from rescues the chains went everywhere with the boys. Each brother had a flat, cone-shaped piece of silver with very detailed indentations along the sides. Each side would only fit together with the next brother of the closest age. Scott's fitted to Virgil's, with John's as the next piece, and then Gordon's fitting only one side of Alan's, and Alan's other side fitting back up with Scott's. One complete circle tying them together no matter what. Each of the boys had their first initial on the front and one letter of "Tracy" on the back. 

"You're right, they will get us out of here, but will it be soon enough?" Alan said as he looked down at his piece of the circle. 

_Come on, John hurry it up!_ The thought rang around Jeff Tracy's mind as he sat at his usual spot waiting for his middle son to get Thunderbird Five's weapons back online. The tension was starting to get to him. Everyone on the Island had been on a roller coaster of emotions since the first explosion and there was almost an electric atmosphere in the lounge. Everyone wanted that satellite destroyed, International Rescue's Thunderbirds repaired, and their pilots' home safely, as the clock continued to tick away.

"One more minute. Just got to connect these up and we're done." John relayed a step-by-step diary of the present situation to Brains' lab on Tracy Island. He forced his hands to be steady as he finished his repairs. 

"Just one more minute."

The Hood looked up at his command screen and with an evil smirk pushed a single red button. 

" International Rescue may have won the battle, but I have won the war."

"Time's up!" 

"Done!" An exhausted John Tracy reached up to his command screen and pressed a single red button. 

On the edge of the Earth's atmosphere four energy beams were fired and a large explosion was seen by the emotion filled eyes of John Tracy.

"NO!"  

Please pass on any complaints or comments by review on what you think.   


	8. Emotional Roller coasters

**Emotional Roller coasters – Chapter 8 of In Enemy Control **

Thank you, for the reviews and next part and then final chapter will be up soon. Thanks Tikatu for her usual expertise in correction. 

"I have won! I have won, International Rescue!" Menacing laughter boomed around the lavish golden temple until the evil eyes of the Hood were brought to the attention of the large screen before him. 

"NO!"

"My weapon! It's been destroyed!" The Hood slammed his fist down on to the sophisticated control unit, as all the telemetry from his most successful mission ended. 

The Hood felt like he was beaten again, until a glimmer of what he would call hope filled his mind. 

"Who fired first, the weapon or Thunderbird Five?" 

It was a worrying mission they were on. Neither had spoken about the fact that lives were in danger, this time IR members' lives. They had arrived at their destination in the fastest possible time, and now it was time to play their part in this very personal rescue. In both their hands they held International Rescue weapons, prepared to face the people who had brought worry and misery to the 'IR family'. 

"Get ready. I want to take them by surprise." The words were spoken in a soft manner but were lined with an edge of worry. Was it to late to help? 

They had watched the area for a few minutes and discussed the best choice of action, but with being in such an isolated spot it seemed too easy. 

"Go." The older man did as he was instructed and planted low powered explosives on the metal door, then stood back ready. A low bang was heard, sounding like a series of explosions as the sound echoed around the secluded, slightly hilly region they were in. The dust flakes cleared the air and scattered all over the cold, steep, concrete steps below them that led to a series of doors. 

"Let's go Parker." The elegant Lady Penelope selected her target out of the four doors in front of her. 

"Yes, milady. Shall I go first, milady?" The grey-suited butler and protector of her Ladyship asked the young woman standing next to him. 

"Please do, Parker." The young blonde directed her butler, but also her dear friend, to the door while she covered the entrance.  

The red door swung open and revealed a mass of control panels and highly advanced equipment, while an old scientist lay unconscious on the floor. 

"He's alive, milady," the butler informed her as he checked the white-suited man for a pulse and assessed his injuries.

"Good, he is going to be very helpful. You go and get the first aid kit from FAB 1 and I shall call Jeff." The beautiful woman moved over to inspect the equipment and space charts spread all over another of the walls. 

"Well, someone had been busy trying to find us. However, it looks like John has successfully destroyed the weapon, as far as I can see." The very intelligent woman informed her collaborator as he returned from FAB 1 and started to treat the nasty cut on the back of the professor's head. 

"I had better call in." The young woman pulled out her compact make-up case, which was incredibly a communication system to Tracy Island. 

"Lady Penelope calling International Rescue headquarters, come in please." The British woman hoped to have news that would please her dear friend, but from the look on Jeff Tracy's face she may have been to late.

"Go ahead, Penny." The look of exhaustion and concern lined his face, which deeply hurt Lady Penelope. 

"Jeff, the weapon has been destroyed and we have found the scientist involved. Are the boys okay?" Concern edged into her soft voice in the last few words. 

"That's great, Penny, but I want to know what he has just done, Thunderbird 3 was targeted again just before the weapon was destroyed, I know nothing else yet." Jeff relayed the information coldly from his desk, with a very upset-looking Gordon and Virgil sitting nearby. 

"FAB, Jeff. He is waking now." The deep blue eyes of Lady Penelope looked hurt by the news that more of this nightmare was still to come. 

John Tracy slid his drained body against the cold metal walls of Thunderbird Five. John was quiet and loving in nature and could handle a crisis quite well but being alone, on a dark, damaged spaceship was something different. Especially knowing that all his past hours of work hadn't stopped this nightmare, and had put his much loved brothers in yet more peril. The tears were being to form, but he again forced himself to control his feelings. He pulled up his head and moved his weary body over to the sensors to see how his brother were and the damage obtained from the last attack. 

"Scott…?" 

"Alan…?" 

"You two all right…?" John forced the desperate feeling of pain from his voice and concentrated on the task. 

"Answer me, now!" 

" Christ, John, I don't think I have ever heard you shout like that before." The voice of his baby brother filtered through the speakers at both Tracy Island and TB 5. 

"You both okay?" John ignored the reply by Alan and repeated his question. 

"Yes, I think. Tell me you destroyed that thing." Scott's deep voice pleaded with John for a 'yes' reply.

"Course I did, the target practice paid off perfectly." John felt slightly better but felt that his feelings of things getting better were about to take a dramatic plunge downwards. 

"Good." 

Unusually for England the temperature was very warm, without any rain, but Lady Penelope couldn't help but shiver. This was due to the information she had willingly gotten from the frightened old scientist. 

"There is nothing we can do. She is set on her course and there is no way we can change it." The scientist decided not to move, basing his decision on two guns being pointed at him. 

"You had better not be lying to us. It isn't a wise idea to cross International Rescue, Professor." The young woman pointed out in a deep meaningful voice from her position above the old man. 

"I am telling the truth. There is nothing we can do. Thunderbird 3's course has been set, in two and a half hours she will collide." 

"Lady Penelope calling International Rescue headquarters." She had never felt so unwilling to call Jeff Tracy that right that second. 

"Jeff, I think both Thunderbird Three and Five need to hear this as well. You had better patch them through." An apprehensive look appeared on Jeff's face and Virgil and Gordon shared an anxious glance, causing Virgil to instantly placed his arm around his aquanaut brother. 

"Okay, Penny, everyone can hear you." Jeff nervously replied.

"Jeff, the scientist was working for the Hood." Virgil had a threatening look on his tanned features and Gordon seemed to tense a lot at the information. 

"The last firing at Thunderbird Three was to knock her off course, or to be more accurate on course. A collision course with a radio satellite, a manned radio satellite station, impact time two hours thirty minutes."  The silence was thick and emotion filled from both England, the middle of the pacific and the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. 

After a breathless few moments, Jeff Tracy said. "Thanks, Penny. Hold on to that scientist. International Rescue base, out." 

He turned his head to face his Earth bound family. 

"Virgil, Gordon, launch Thunderbird 2 as soon as possible, head up to the edge of the atmosphere and wait for instructions." 

"Dad maybe…" Scott started his protest from TB 3.

"No, Scott, you two just stay put. We're going to get you out of there." The argument came not from Jeff but from Gordon.

"Thank you, Gordon. Virgil, Gordon, get going, and be careful, boys." Jeff looked at his sons sadly and embraced both of them with a brief hug, questioning what his mouth had just said. He was sending even more of his sons into danger, but he knew that was the only way to help. 

"Brains, Tin Tin, what do you think?" There was almost a pleading for a glimmer of hope in Jeff's words as both Gordon and Virgil disappeared into the walls. 

"I'm not s-sure, M-Mr T-Tracy. If T-Thunderbird 3's engines are powerless, there is nothing w-we can d-do." 

"We should radio the satellite and inform them. They maybe able to move and stop the collision." Tin Tin spoke up although she was filled with worry for her adopted family.

"Good idea. Let's hope they can help. Get me the frequency, would you?" Jeff found hope in his youngest son's girlfriend's voice, but was pushed back into despair at Scott's voice. 

"Dad, Thunderbird 2 is going to be up here in what, two and a quarter hours at best? That's cutting it a bit fine, don't you think?"

"Right now it's the best plan, Scott."

Jeff sensed an edge of hidden information in his voice. 

"What is it, Scott?" Jeff asked firmly knowing it was the only way to get an answer from his heir. 

"Dad." Scott looked over at Alan who was still sitting, shivering against the walls of the great space rocket. 

"We have got two hours and twenty five minutes before we get fatal carbon dioxide poisoning." Jeff Tracy felt his hands tremble and his heart crush as he and everyone else heard Scott's words. 

"We are already getting really sick." Scott just listened to the silence on the airwaves. 

_Great were going to suffocate and then get blown to pieces, and innocent people are going to die because of us._

_Unless we take plan C, a plan only Thunderbird 3 was capable of, which would save the innocent people in the radio satellites lives._. 

Alan considered the options as he watched his brother relay the information to his father, but deep down he knew it would have to happen if all else failed.

_ Plan C - Operation Self-destruct!_


	9. The Ultimate Sacrifice

**The ultimate sacrifice- Chapter 9**

That feeling, that sensation that makes all the little things in life feel irrelevant, hits you as an intense, stomach-churning emotion, and leaves you empty, completely empty. You can feel your blood running through your veins and the continuous thumping of your heart, your body is numb but your brain is working on overdrive. All the Tracy brothers had felt it many times in their job as IR members, and in other more distressing times of loss. Virgil had now felt he had experienced it enough to break the emotion down, it was made of three parts. Fear, sorrow, and the worst one, helplessness. Virgil considered the matter more as he flew his advanced craft up to the boundaries of the Earth's atmosphere. Fear could be conquered, sorrow could be eased, but helplessness would always be with you and never forgotten. Being powerless to stop the deaths of his brothers was the worst emotion of all. That's why Virgil would travel to the ends of the Earth to save them, and now he literally was.

"Gordo, you with me?" Virgil shouted back to his younger brother from the pilot seat of TB 2, tryingto distract himself from the tears beginning to emerge. 

"Sure, Virg.." Virgil had never heard Gordon's voice so flat, so negative. 

"How long now?" Gordon asked as he pulled his head up from its position in his hands. 

"ETA 35 minutes." Virgil looked in a disapproving way at the controls in front of him, he had cut off all the possible by pushing TB2 to her limits, but it still might not be enough. 

"WHAT? That leaves ten minutes for a rescue. Is that enough time?" Gordon pulled himself up straight and stared in horror at his older brother.

"It's going to have to be," Virgil snapped. 

"This is International Rescue calling Radio station 589, come in, please." John fought to keep a level voice and avoid causing a panic to the people on the station.

"This is Satellite station 589 to International Rescue. What's going on, is something wrong?" A young-sounding man answered the call.

"I need your full assistance, station 589, there isn't much time."

"Sure, we'll help if we can, what's wrong?" Relief that the men were willing to help filled John's mind. 

"Is it possible for your station to be moved to a different orbit?" John got straight to the point.

"Yes, it's possible alright, but it will take 6 hours to power up the engines and plot a suitable course." The man could hear the deep breath and negative vibes in the IR man's voice.

"Okay 589, this is the truth, Thunderbird 3, our space craft, is on a collision course with your station, in less than 45 minutes. We are sending a rescue craft to try and move your station to avoid the collision." John tried just saying the words and not thinking about it. 

"I'm sorry, International Rescue, that's not possible. If you touch us even slightly, we will be knocked out of orbit and crash into the Earth, and we won't have enough power for re-entry. That's not a possible option." The older of the two DJ's spoke calmly into the microphone.

"Thank you station 589, give me a minute and I will get back to you." John signed off and informed all other members of IR of the information what he had gotten from the satellite. 

"It looks like we have only one option. We get the people out of the satellite and then push that out of orbit, or destroy it, and then rescue Scott and Alan." Gordon said the only option for saving everyone, but it was full of miscalculation and uncertainties. 

"In ten minutes, Gordy? That isn't possible!" Alan pointed out breathlessly as he leaned over to see the watch face on Scott's arm.

"What's our other choice?" Virgil questioned to anyone. 

Tin Tin nearly tearfully looked at Brains, and Brains looked at Jeff, and Jeff stated at John. 

"No, that's our plan A." Alan said as he looked at Scott, sensing his next words would prove a heated discussion. 

"Little one, if you have a plan B, I would love to hear it?" Virgil said sarcastically and hopefully. Was it Alan's turn to show his brothers, and more importantly his father, that he wasn't just a little kid and knew what he was doing? 

"Dad, we need a backup plan. What if Virgil and Gordon don't get the people out from the satellite in time? Not only will we and the people on the satellite be blown to the moon and back, but so will TB 2 in the explosion." Alan ignored Virgil and directed his view to his father. 

"Carry on, son." Jeff spoke softly, emotion clearly shown in his voice at the thought of only John being alive if the worst should happen. 

Alan took a deep breath. "We have to consider code TB3 D." 

"What are you on, Alan? There is no code TB 3 D." Scott plainly put breathing heavily in the cold air on to his baby brother's face. Unfortunately, unknown to Scott, there was. 

John's face fell back into his hands, he knew what Alan had said. Tin Tin and Brains took a similar action to John and also knew what he had meant, but Jeff looked like hell had hit him. The code he had most dreaded wanting to call, the arguments this code had caused, the fear of the possibility of having do use it hit him hard. 

Scott, Virgil, and Gordon knew nothing of this code due to the force of disagreements over the original idea. Jeff had done what he thought was right. Thunderbird 3, and only Thunderbird 3 had a self-destruct code, activated by his password and either John's or Alan's. They were changed regularly and stored on TB 5. Scott wouldn't even consider blowing his family members up and that why he wasn't told of its existence. It was a risk not telling him and Virgil and Gordon, but a necessary one . If anything would happen and a rescue not be possible in the depths of space, it was the final possibility. Still, it made Jeff deeply consider the action of installing it. 

"Yes, there is," Jeff said plainly.

"Here's what we're going to do, Virgil, stay your course and get those people out of there, then destroy the station before TB3 hits her. John, get the codes for Alan and I will go get mine," Jeff had to switch to command mode, as he wasn't sure he could give the orders otherwise. 

"Hold on, what is this code?" Scott snapped, annoyed at being cut out of the loop.

Alan stared at the blue eyes of the brother sitting next to him, they were both getting very weak but the thought of Scott not knowing something had sparked him up. 

"It's a code to activate the self-destruction of Thunderbird 3." Alan informed Virgil, Scott, and Gordon and expecting the reply. 

"What the hell are you saying, Alan?" Virgil yelled with Gordon suddenly standing behind him for support.

"It's an option, okay?" Alan said quietly. John had said nothing.

"No, it's not!" The yell was heard in Alan's ear, as he leaned over and cut communications with base, John, and TB2 from Scott's watch. 

"What are you doing now?" Scott protested at the ending of the call.

"Just listen to someone else for once, Scott, please? If there isn't enough time to get those three people out of the satellite, are we just going to let them die, and possibly our brothers, too? Think about it, Scott, we could cause the death of five people if we crash into that station. What choice have we got?" Alan seemed to have such courage and strength in his voice despite the freezing temperature and toxic atmosphere. 

"I can't believe Dad did this without telling me!" Scott stood shakily. 

"Forget that, it's done, but this is our decision." Alan's hand held Scott's shoulder.

"Alone, I wouldn't question putting myself before others, but I can't do it. I'm not going to let you die, Alan." Scott turned to face his brother and put his hand on his youngest brother's face with a look of sadness in his eyes. 

"I wasn't that old when you were born, but when you started to grow up I took so much responsibility for you. I love you, you're more than a brother to me. I feel like a parent to you, Al." Scott's words were heartfelt and gripped Alan's heart so much. He had looked up to all his brothers, but Scott was right, he was like a Dad to him and he could see why it was difficult for him now. 

"Scott, I love you, too, and you're right, I have seen you as a Dad sort of, but they have to come before our lives." Alan hugged his brother, trying desperately to avoid the sleepy feeling coming over him. Forcing himself to stay awake was essential. 

"Yes, you're right." Scott hugged Alan tightly and then switched back on his communicator. 

"John, get those codes on standby." John registered the words but couldn't believe they were being said. He would have to give out the codes for his brothers' deaths, and he didn't know if he could do it. 

"FAB," was all he managed, as his father returned with slightly puffy eyes to sit at his desk. 

One pair of moist hazel eyes gazed at the timer in Thunderbird Two. ETA to danger zone five minutes. A pair of cerulean eyes gazed at his watch in Thunderbird Three. Collision time, fifteen minutes. The thought passed though his mind that they would be unconscious by then anyway. 


	10. A treasured moment

A treasured moment - Chapter 10 

Thank you! 

I appreciate so much the wonderful reviews people have made, especially the people who have reviewed each chapter, thanks.  This is the second to last chapter, as I wanted a little more emotion in it than just a rescue. I hope you like it.

"Scott, I am so tired and cold." 

"I know, but we have to stay awake, Alan." Scott's voice was as breathless and deep as Alan's as they leaned against each other for both heat and reassurance. 

"How… how's it going, Virgil?" Scott asked.

"We about to try and unload the crew of the station. Just stay awake, okay?" Virgil pleaded with his brothers. They sounded even sicker from just having to dress themselves in space suits, which now only contained growing amounts of carbon dioxide as the filters were being used up, and very little pure oxygen, and that oxygen was needed for the transfer from TB3 to TB2.   

"We're trying." Alan remarked. 

"John, this is TB2. We are going to need as much of your help as possible to do this, everything that you can do with all that damaged equipment." Gordon said from the pilot seat of TB2. Unfortunately, he was flying the craft due to his lack of astronaut training. Virgil, at least, had some training, although he wasn't as good as Alan and John.

John sensed Scott and Alan were having a more difficult time in TB3 than they were letting on, and called his father. 

"Dad, we need you to keep Alan and Scott conscious. I think they're about to pass out." Jeff looked very worried about this. 

"I…I have got the codes in case we need them." John's eyes wouldn't meet his father's as he said those words.

"Virgil will dock with the satellite in two minutes, leaving twelve minutes to evacuate TB3 and clear the area." This was unreal. 

"Send them to Alan. This is the final option. I will contact TB3 now. Good luck, John." 

Jeff said the words in a commanding way, but how could he consider giving the order to kill his sons? Was it really his decision? No, it wasn't. Alan and Scott would give their lives for strangers without a thought, but the idea of losing his sons nearly killed Jeff. It hurt to imagine a life without them. 

Tin Tin observed Jeff from the corner of the room. Tears stung her eyes and pain shattered her heart at the words that had just been said. 

"Alan!" was the only word that escaped her lips, as she begged for her lover's safe return. IR gave so much to the world. Surely it wouldn't all end like this? 

"Boys, it's your father, can you both hear me?" Jeff spoke so softly and, unusually for him, emotion seeped from his every word. To save power, they had stopped using the videophones on the watches, but Jeff so wanted to see his sons' faces. 

The eldest and youngest heard their father's voice, and feared the worst. The look between the two said it all. 

"Boys… I love you, just remember that, whatever happens, I will always love you. We're not giving up yet though. Are you ready?" Alan could feel emotion building up, and Scott looked in a similar way. Thunderbird 3 had lost power to gravity control and both boys at that moment were glad of that, as it meant they couldn't cry. 

"_Don't tell me I just said goodbye."_ The thought passed though his mind as Jeff spoke the words. 

Scott watched as Alan floated across and entered two sets of codes into a separate computer system, which armed a thirty second self-destruct when a third and final code was entered. Alan and Scott turned and looked down on a breath-taking sight. Earth, or more personally, their home.  

"We love you too, Dad. All of you lot." 

Alan closed his eyes and spoke those words with masses of emotion and winced at the pain ripping through his heart. Not only was it his family that he was saying goodbye to, but to Tin Tin. Alan thought back to his most perfect moment in time, when time seemed to stop and he could almost live in that moment, but again more pain hit him. 

_'I wasted it? I always put it off? We walked hand in hand everyday around the Island for years. I put up with constant teasing about my feeling for her, but still nothing. In the end I never said what my heart so desperately felt, 'I love you Tin Tin.' _

'The sweetest dreams of her would never do, because I don't want to miss a thing, but just remembering her falling asleep in my arms that night, that perfect night, warms my heart. That night I had realised I loved her. It was just after IR's first mission and I stayed awake for hours that night just listening to her breathing, watching her smile as she was dreaming, wondering if it was me that she was seeing. Our every moment spent together from then was a moment I'd treasure. I remember I kissed her eyes and thanked God we were together, and I was so desperate for us to stay in that moment, forever and ever.'

'I didn't want to close my eyes that night. I didn't want to fall asleep because I would miss her, and I didn't want to miss a thing. And I don't now, because I love her.'   

Scott watched his youngest brother as he closed his eyes, lost in thoughts. He knew what Alan had meant in his words, and just hoped he would be able to tell Tin Tin.

"Dad…" Scott wanted to say so much, but his voice wasn't working. Images of his Mum and Dad flashed around his head, from Lucille tucking him in as a small child and saying how much she loved him, to the look on his father's face the day he signed up for the Air Force.

"Son, it's all right… I know, we all know." Jeff was so close to Scott because he was the eldest, and he sensed his son's feelings of sadness and despair. In such a tight knit family, in times of despair, words weren't necessary.  

"Virgil… look after them, little brother." Scott switched frequencies and spoke to TB2 and TB5.

"Yes, Scott… and you look after the kiddo." Virgil stood in the air lock about to depart TB2, while Gordon was at the helm, hands white from his clutching the controls. 

"John." Alan chimed in. 

"Thanks, big brother, for everything." John couldn't speak; tears both choked his eyes and lined his face. 

"Gordo, take care, you hear me." Scott smiled as best he could, as the world was getting slowly darker, and breathing was taking too much effort.  

"We love you." Alan and Scott heard John's voice, so soft and emotional.

"We know." Scott moved towards the door and the self-destruct controls, with Alan following.

"Virgil, Gordo, good luck. It's time." Alan slowly raised his left hand and watched the second hand tick away. 

" Twelve minutes." Alan said, his voice empty of emotion as both brothers floated by TB3 escape hatch, ready for whatever was next. 

"Come on, come on." The Hood paced around the vast marble floors of his temple urging time to move faster and finish off International Rescue. By using another of his satellites, a spy satellite, he had managed to monitor the progress of his plan. He had been happily laughing until he had noticed TB2's arrival and now he was beginning to worry if IR was going to get out of this. Surely they couldn't survive this master plan? 

The Hood thought, if he failed again, would he survive to get his revenge? General X didn't except failure.

 The Hood himself had never known the true identity of his man, his boss, only that he was the one person wanting the destruction of IR more than he himself did, if that was possible.

"Thunderbird Two calling radio satellite 589, are you ready?" Virgil breathed deeply and tried not to think about anything but what he had to do. 

"Sure thing, but we have never done anything like this before." The dark haired engineer told him in a shaky voice.

"Don't worry, it will be okay." Virgil was trying to convince himself as well as them. 

"Gordon, open the airlock, and John, start timing."

"Now!" 

The thick silver metal door opened and Virgil instantly saw just how small the satellite was compared to the vast, advanced TB3 that looked terrifyingly close behind it. Virgil set off on his space walk. He had done this only twice before. 'Gordon's brought my Thunderbird close to the satellite, but not close enough,' Virgil thought. 

"All right, guys, close your inner door, then open your outer door. I'm nearly there." Virgil spoke softly, but his heart was pounding, and his eyes were focused on the radio satellite's door. 

"Virgil, six and a half minutes left." John said anxiously as his eyes were focused on his clock and a small screen. 

Back on Earth, the atmosphere in the Tracy lounge was thick, but the only sounds heard were the communication links between the Thunderbirds in space. Jeff sat with his head in his hands, begging for the safety of all his sons. Never before had all five been put in peril all at once. Tin Tin also sat in the corner of the room, her face pale and her eyes unfocused. All she heard was the voices of her family. Brains and Kyrano stood quietly, wishing for the best. All were aware of the ticking of the clock resting on Jeff's desk. 

"Come on, we don't have much time." Virgil encouraged the DJs out of the satellite, Virgil knew that with Alan and Scott now in their spacesuits, and the Lithium Hydroxide canisters un-able to filter the Carbon Dioxide from the suits, things were only going to get worse.    

"Just focus at the door of Thunderbird Two and don't look anywhere else." Virgil said as two older men floated past him, but the third looked unsure. 

"Please, we have to hurry." Virgil couldn't keep the begging edge out of his voice as he grasped the arm of the light-haired man. 

John moved swiftly to the radio." Four minutes, Virgil!" 

"Alan, Scotty, you okay?" John wiped the cold sweat from his blond-haired head.

"We… are…just a-about here, J-John." A shiver went down John's spine hearing his brother so breathless and sick.  

"Gordon, we are about to enter TB 2." Virgil's voice seemed to bring a bit of relief to his family, as one worry lifted. 

"Gordon, get ready to move her." Virgil said as he pulled himself through the airlock and slammed his fist onto the red button that locked the outer door. 

"Move her, Gordon!" Virgil quickly pulled off his helmet and revealed his chestnut hair and hazel eyes to the crew of the satellite while giving strict instructions of where to go sit and put on their seatbelts.  

"John, how much time?" Virgil said as he pulled his helmet back on and listened with intense concern to his brother. 

" Less than two minutes. Hurry, Gordon!" John voice was doing nothing to help Gordon remain calm as he moved Thunderbird Two around as swiftly as possible and edged her back. Unfortunately, it was taking too much time, as she wasn't really built for space travel. 

The blue eyes of the IR pilot were alarmed and heavy in Thunderbird Three. The self-destruct device was no longer necessary as the crew were safely abroad TB 2, but they still had little time before the collision. Gordon had one minute, thirty seconds to get the satellite out of the way. If not, then we are finished, he thought as he eyes began to close. 

"Gordon! " Virgil snapped over the radio.

"We're too close the explosion! It could blow us to pieces, never mind Thunderbird Three!" Gordon said to his brother in a panicked voice. 

"Gordon, you don't have the time, we're going to have to take that risk. Blow it up! That's an order!" Virgil yelled, clasping a metal bar preparing himself for the impact of the explosion, praying it wouldn't be too severe.  

Gordon's hands had never been as shaky and sweaty as he reached out and pushed the red button that was the weapons systems. " Let's hope this is enough." 

The blackness of space was disturbed for a few passing moments by an explosion that lit the area around it, and sent a shock wave ripping through both sister ships. 

John Tracy's eyes didn't want to look up and reveal which ships remained, but he knew he had to when a small begging voice came through from his father, seconds later. 

A deep gust of air forced its way through John Tracy's mouth as he released the breath he didn't know he had been holding. 

"They're all right! " Hearing John's voice was a moment Jeff would treasure; it was so thankful and relieved, he could almost cry. 

"Thunderbird Two and Three, are you all right?" John said a little less cheerfully but very hopeful. 

"Yes, Johnny, we are all right. I'm heading back to pick up TB 3, ETA two minutes." Gordon said, just as relieved, and Virgil found his mouth wouldn't work as he sat, with a smile on his face, on the floor of the airlock. 

"Okay, Gordo." John breathed deeply and suddenly felt a lot better. 

"Scott, Alan, you're going to be all right. You're not going to crash." John filled in his brothers, but no message was returned. 

"Scott? " 

"Alan? "  

Every IR member shuddered at the voice that came through, it was so soft, so weak, so breathless, nothing like his usual voice. 

"Oh, my God.." Jeff heard the message and his chest seemed to tighten again. At the same time John's feet gave way and he collapsed on the floor, but barely noticing he had fell at all. Virgil's panic of being so helpless returned and a single tear ran down his face. Gordon begged and pushed Thunderbird two to go faster to reach his brothers. In every IR member's head, the words just spoken from Thunderbird Three replayed again and again.   

 "He's… stopped… breathing…"    

Thanks Tikatu may wonderful beta reader. 

I am no scientist, so I am sorry if some of the details are wrong, I did do some research and put it into the story but it might not all be correct. 

Song words are used in describing Alan's dream by Aerosmith - I don't want to miss a thing.  Great song!


	11. Your time will come

**Your time will come - Final chapter******

 They say a story isn't worth reading without a fitting ending, well I wrote what I hope is an appropriate ending to this story, so here it is. 

WARNING! - Tikatu said it was emotional ending, I hope you lot like upset Tracy's!!!!!!  ****

Pain filled his eyes as he stared at the control panel before him; he screamed as he heard the words in his head telling him his brother wasn't breathing. He so wanted to run away, but all around the spaceship trapped him, keeping him from helping his brothers. He felt the pain return to haunt him like from a time in his younger years when he lost his mother. The world felt like it was beginning to collapse around him as he looked at his scanners and found the life signs were gone from inside Thunderbird Three. They were gone. 

"No. I killed them. No, please, Scott, Alan, don't leave me. Please!"   

"No please, NO!" 

John screamed as his sapphire eyes snapped open; his pupils wide and panicked, his hands trembling as they clutched the bed sheets. Sweat covered every pore of his body and his tears were cold against his hot, damp face. His breathing was swift and deep as the nightmare faded from his mind. 

"A nightmare." John said breathlessly as he pushed his hand through his damp hair.

His voice was soft and emotional, the words said in a pleading tone just as they had been for the last seven nights. Every night since returning from space, he had awakened from an emotional and distressing nightmare about the events that occurred from just over a week ago. 

"Johnny?" A dark haired man appeared at the doorway to John's bedroom. He, too, had clearly been awakened by his dreams. His rough hair stuck out at irregular angles and his deeply pained eyes looked at the floor as they approached John, giving that fact away. 

"You couldn't sleep, either." John stated plainly, managing to calm himself down. The question wasn't needed. Virgil's appearance and manner expressed more than words could tell. 

"John... you're crying." Virgil said, as he moved to sit at the end of his middle brother's bed, putting his hands out towards his brother, to embrace him and encourage him to open up about his dreams and feelings. 

"I'm fine, really." John tried to slide the damp cotton sheets off his long legs, noticing that his twisting and turning in his sleep had tangled his legs and the bed sheets together. 

"Don't please push me away, John. I heard you scream. I know you're not fine." Virgil's pleading words forced him to stop struggling in his bed and enter his brother's embrace.  

John felt Virgil's strong secure arms hold his body and he longed for his brother to say the words that would tell him whether his nightmares were only going to get worse or hopefully end. 

Virgil looked down at the older blond Tracy brother as his mind shifted to think of their younger blond brother and their oldest brother.

"Tell me about your dream?" Virgil looked him in the eyes.

"No, I can't." John's mouth was hot on Virgil's neck and a tear ran down his cheek.

"Do you want to go downstairs?" Virgil pulled his brother from his chest and asked the question already knowing the answer. 

"Yes." John spoke the words and fought to find some courage in his heart. 

"Come on, then." Virgil helped John up and both brothers left the room entering the dark corridors. Both brothers didn't want to turn on the lights on; the darkness of the rooms reflected the mood of the villa's occupants, and it was possible that someone was asleep, though not very likely. 

"Gordo?" John called out softly as he entered the shadow-covered room. 

"John, Virgie." The voice of their brother was low and sad, not a single note of his usual mischievous self remained in the words. Feeling like Virgil had only minutes before, John pulled Gordon into a hug. 

"Why are you still awake?" Virgil asked in an uptight manner as he crouched next to the chair Gordon sat in. 

"I was just thinking... and...  w-watching." Virgil and John's heads both dipped to the marble floor emotions filling their minds. No more words were needed; the silence that filled the room was only disturbed by the constant beeping of two heart monitors. 

Virgil stood up and dragged himself to the side of his oldest brother's bed and with tears threatening to fall, he forced the question from his mouth, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. 

"Hey Scott, You going to wake up anytime soon, big brother?"

Both Gordon and John reacted to crack of emotion in Virgil's words, a desperate plea to their brothers who both were critically ill and in comas. John got off the cold floor and physically forced himself to move toward the beds He wanted to see his brothers but knew it hurt to see them like that. He lifted his head with a sharp intake of breath. 

"He looks so peaceful, so relaxed." John commented with deep sigh as he slowly reached out to stroke his baby brother's flaxen locks. 

"Yep, he does. What I wouldn't give if he would just open those sparking blue eyes. That goes for you too, Scotty." Virgil said as he cast his eyes painfully down onto his brother. Scott's skin was warm to the touch but his colour was lighter than usual, Virgil's heart ached at the sight of both this oldest and youngest brothers lying in the sick room not yet showing signs of waking. 

"You did great on the mission, Al. I'm really proud of you." John whispered as he held his brother's hand tightly, unconsciously squeezing it just to try and get a reply. None came. 

"What did Brains say when you called him?" After listening to his brothers, and  not getting any answers from the sick Tracys, Gordon tried to pull something positive into the situation.

"That Thunderbird Five is nearly fully repaired thanks to the equipment he took up and Thunderbird Three is stationed there as usual, but she is still badly damaged and will need more repair work done before she can be flown home." Virgil repeated his conversation with Brains about the condition of the ships.They were truly thankful that he went up to relieve John despite the condition of the craft. 

Virgil didn't mention what Brains had said about John, as soon as TB 2 was home. Brains had taken the old space craft, used to help build Thunderbird Five in orbit to get John and tow in TB3. Virgil was hurt to hear the condition John was in when Brains got there. Brains had said John just been sitting on the cold metal floor of TB 5 when he arrived, telling himself it was his fault if they died and that he should have worked faster. 

Virgil looked at his middle brother, whose eyes were dulled and pained. His lips were whispering words pleading for Alan to wake, and his hands were shaking as he caressed Alan's face. 

"John..." Gordon also turned to look at his brother, who looked truly traumatised. 

"It's okay Johnny, they're going to get better, Dad promised, remember." Gordon walked towards him and spoke softly into his brother's ear, his words expressing such belief. John began to shudder. Gordon gathered his older brother into his arms and guided him to another bed on the other side of the room. Virgil quickly followed, and both brothers sat either side of John, not wanting to look at their sick brothers lying across the room, but not able to stop themselves.

He reached out again and repeated his movements of that of about ten minutes ago, he filled another glass of whiskey and drank it swiftly. He couldn't cope anymore, seeing his sons that ill and knowing someone had deliberately wanted them dead made his heart ache. His mind wouldn't stop going around and around the events of the past week, and when he tried to sleep the words of his son haunted him. 

_' "He's... not... breathing...!" Scott's words that second will stay with me for the rest of my life. They were emotional, horrifying, agonizing. I could hear how the fear that filled his every breath.'___

_'My heart stopped, I swear, at that moment. I have felt like that only once before, when Lucille died and I can't go through that again. The waiting for Thunderbird Two to reach and dock with her sister ship felt like years, time seemed to stop. I can't really recall what exactly happened, as all I could see were images of Scott and Alan flashing through my mind to the beating of my heart. While Gordon and Virgil were desperately rescuing their brothers ,I was helpless. After Lucille died I never wanted to feel that way again, never, but I did.'___

_ ' "They're alive, Dad, we're bringing them home." That's when I remember coming back to reality when I faintly heard Virgil say those words. Until Thunderbird Two was home I couldn't do anything but hope my children would live, in that time I felt so alone. Every one of my sons had been in danger and I wanted nothing more but to hold them all.'___

_'I remember I felt slightly relieved when Thunderbird Two landed, they were safe but running into Thunderbird Two's sick bay and seeing Alan and Scott so, so... lifeless, my heart constricted again. "No." '___

"Boys." Jeff Tracy made his way back into the sick room, glass in hand, saddened by the site of his three sons just staring at Scott and Alan. 

"Dad." Virgil said, shocked, emotion and pain showed clearly on all three faces. 

"You should be in bed, boys. You're exhausted." Jeff said in a slightly strict way putting his hand on Gordon's shoulder and sitting down on the bed next to him. 

"We were just checking they were all right Dad, that's all." John said, tired and sad. 

Gordon's brain hadn't stopped thinking about rescuing his brothers. Every time he saw them lying there unconscious just sent his mind straight back to when they docked with Thunderbird Three. 

_'The bleeping of the airlocks being secured and locked, that's the main thing I remember before turning and running to the air lock going to help Virgil. I can't remember grabbing oxygen masks and a med kit, it's like I just did it. I remember the darkness of Thunderbird Three and having to suddenly adapt to the lack of light was difficult; I had to feel my way through the ship's hatch. Noticing Virgil's flashlight up ahead, I was about to call out but the words wouldn't come. Alan was lying unconscious and looked freezing cold on the metal floor. He was kitted in his spacesuit, but I couldn't see much as Scott was lying unconscious on top of him, both not breathing. I think my heart might have stopped; I certainly froze before I  instantly grabbed the oxygen and started forcing Scott to breathe. Virgil was doing the same with Alan.  Scott's pulse was weak and I could remember the heaviness of his muscles, but it was better than Alan's condition."  ___

Gordon was jolted from his thought by a hand to his shoulder, his father looked at him, clearly deeply concerned. 

"Gordon, you okay?" His father asked as he reached out to Gordon with one arm and John with another, and smiled at Virgil lovingly. 

"Sure." His answer was short and incorrect. 

All four Tracys just sat there, staring, hoping, and praying. 

_'Not like this, not now. He can't leave me, I won't let him. I walked into that room so desperately unwilling to look up from the floor, as I knew seeing them would hurt me so much. This family is everything to me, they're my 'brothers', my friends, and then the one I love. It hurt, it cut deep into my heart and it will forever stay there, the image of my 'brother' and the man I love looking so... distant and so ill. I should have stayed but I couldn't be there any longer. '___

"No, please no, I need you, don't leave me, I love you." 

She stroked her fingers down the glass as she lay on her bed alone, and as her heart released its deep pain and sorrow at the events of the past days, a tear marked the framed photo of the youngest Tracy son. 

Jeff Tracy lay in the middle of the large bed in the dark sick room, one of his hands slowly stroked John's blond head, while his other arm was wrapped around Gordon. Virgil perched next to Gordon and held his hand, all sat in silence. The tropical winds couldn't be heard even though they blew the curtains, the continuous rhythmic swash of the Pacific wasn't heard even though they were close to the shore, Virgil Tracy only heard the harshness of his breath and beating of his heart as the memories returned. 

'_Scott, Alan! Running I remember running through the ship. It was dark and cold but I didn't have to go far to see a image that has and will haunt my dreams: my two brothers not breathing.'___

_'I don't remember Gordon arriving to help me, but I recall yelling and forcing Alan to start breathing, and resuscitating him was the worst thing I have ever done.  I could have lost him. I remember thinking getting them to the sick room on TB2 would be hard as they were both unconscious. What would we have done without those DJ's? We would have been helpless. I really need to thank those guys again soon. After all five of us got them to the sick room, I knew then how truly sick they were.'___

_'Scott was so pale and looked so much younger, and Alan, his lips were still slightly blue and he was ice cold to the touch. I didn't want to leave them, but I had to get them home, but running from the room I felt so guilty for leaving their sides.'___

_ 'I don't think I have ever been happier to see my home, the journey home had broken all of Thunderbird Two's speed records but it seemed like forever before I saw the eyes of my father, and help for my brothers.'___

Virgil felt John move next to him and he returned to the present. 

_'We can't lose them, we need them. One look across to my Dad and brothers and I see them scared. We have all been haunted by our nightmares and are afraid to leave their side as they may wake or move and we won't see it. It's natural, I suppose, for people you love.'___

Virgil's eyes could no longer cope. They fell shut as his brothers' had before him. Maybe this time his dreams would not be as haunted. 

Jeff cast his eyes over his sons lying next to him; they were drained and were now sleeping softly and peacefully. His eyes and head moved to look at his eldest and youngest, they were so alike in different ways, Scott looked after Alan as a son, Alan worshiped Scott and always looked up to him. Seeing them like that, Jeff Tracy thought only one thing as his eyes began to close and his mind entered into a deep sleep. 

_ "I swear to all of International Rescue's enemies, we will have our turn to get back at you someday. We won't forget what you have done to us, and you will pay the price. Your time will come!"        _

Jeff Tracy entered his sleep just before the only sound in the room was getting slowly more rapid and smoother. 

'Bleep'

'Bleep'

'Bleep'

'Bleep'

'Bleep'

'Bleep...'

"I knew he shouldn't be trusted." The bitterness and resentment was clear in his voice.

"Failure, all he gives me is failure. Time after time he tries and fails each one. Well, no more! This time I will have my turn at winning." He yelled to no one. 

_"Two months after they saved each other's lives from an appalling plot to kill them all, they are now back to saving the world. Just another day in the life of International Rescue!" ___

The news report continued on to tell how the world is celebrating as International Rescue saved the day again, as a truly evil man devised a new threat that would lead to more nightmares of IR. 

"I know who you are, International Rescue, and I know how to hurt you. I guarantee you your time will come!" 

The secret evil mastermind of every plot against IR, Agent X cursed his threat, and a smile looked back at him as he looked in the mirror. The reflection would be familiar to every member of the Tracy family, if they ever found out who Agent X was! 

**Authors note:**

Thanks SO much to Tikatu for all her beta reading, she worked a miracle on my work, and I recommend looking at her stories, as they are great.   

Also thank you so much to all the reviews it helps so much for encouragement and criticisms, especially the people who review so many of the chapters, I hope you weren't disappointed by the end? If you are tell me! 

So this story is finished, or is it? Could Agent X be back to haunt to Tracy's again? 

Many thanks, Star*


	12. A storm on the horizon Epilogue

This is a very short epilogue to this story, which was requested but also and I am going to begin another story that will continue from this soon that's why I wrote this as it introduces the next one.  
  
Epilogue  
  
A storm on the horizon  
  
A vast expanse of one of Mother Earth's most unexplored treasures were seen through cerulean anxious eyes, the wind swept through his blond locks and made his body shudder despite the humid conditions. Looking down from the islands highest cliff the Pacific waters broke on to the jagged cliff face as if the ocean was expelling its vigour and fury. The youngest Tracy watched without seeing, his mind was contemplating the past weeks, it had been hell, but what more was to come? The million dollar villa, still overflowing with the appreciation of both Scott and Alan surviving and recovering from their brush with death, however now it's occupants were waiting impatiently for the subsequently mission. Before the explosion the gap between the rescues would have been filled with the boys enjoyment of their own personal activities, or maintenance of IR's sophisticated technology, but this time it was different.  
  
Alan Tracy sighed and quickly regretted it when a shape pain shot through his chest, a consequence still of the breathing difficulties both boys had experienced in Thunderbird 3. "You okay kiddo?" A deep questioning voice was heard from behind the blond. "Yes, for the last time." Alan's voice contained a hint of frustration. "Sorry." Scott Tracy wasn't sorry despite saying so. "So if there is nothing wrong then why are you standing on the edge of a cliff?" Scott placed himself next to his youngest brother and tried to examine his eyes, which were staring out to the horizon. The youngest Tracy son contemplated a thought for a moment and then turned to face his oldest brother. Looking into his eyes Alan began to regret the irritation he had felt when his brother had been concerned about him. Scott's blue eyes were the first things Alan remembered seeing when he finally woke from his slumber of nearly four weeks. According to his father Scott had woken before himself and had demanded to see his baby brother about two seconds after waking. Jeff Tracy had disagreed but being the eldest Scott had a way with his father and despite being very ill himself hadn't left Alan's side until he woke. Alan knew the love, respect and responsibility Scott had of him, but it really could be annoying at times.  
  
"Thanks Scott." The eldest Tracy was slightly shocked at being pulled into a hug but instantly returned the gesture. "Hey you don't need to thank me, I was just as glad to get out of that tin can alive as you were Alan, trust me!" "TIN CAN !" The hug ended as swiftly as it had begun and an annoyed look was etched on the youngest Tracy's face. "Well it wasn't really comfortable in there kid." Scott shot back with a cheeky look on his face and irony echoed from his words. "Oh I'm sorry next time someone tries to kill us I will ask it to be somewhere luxurious where we can be comfortable while we die." Alan's words sparked bitterness in the eldest Tracy. "No one is going to do this or anything like that again Alan." Scott placed his hands on Alan's shoulders and spoke louder than before. Alan looked into his brother's eyes and spoke what everyone in the Tracy villa was thinking, just not saying.  
  
"They will try again." Alan stared back out to the horizon where the sky was getting darker, as stacks of clouds all tinted in greys and blacks towered above the ocean. Scott Tracy felt no fear for IR future missions as there had been four rescues since he himself had woken, but every member of IR now knew how powerful their enemy was, and worse, what risks they would take to eradicate International Rescue. "Alan, I knew starting International Rescue would endanger all are lives and every time any of us gets hurt we all question what were doing here. When I saw you lying in bed all pale and cold, it hurt me deeply, but if we weren't doing this job then many more people would experience their loved ones hurt or dying. That's the risk we take." Scott's words reflected Alan's thoughts. "I know and that's okay, we all excepted that fact, but.." Alan stared deep into his brother's cobalt eyes and hesitated. "What's coming next Scott?" A question no one could answer. As he moved his large tanned hand through his midnight black hair the wind began to blow stronger, and the waves crashed with more power, Scott Tracy wished he knew the answer for what was to come next.  
  
'His eyes are desperate for revenge, but even Scott's worried that people will try and destroy International rescue and us.' Alan examined his brother's form with concern as the though flashed into his head. "Scott." "Yep." Alan turned to face his brother, carefully noticing how close to the cliff edge he was. "We will face this together as a family." Not a question Scott noticed, as a smile passed on to his face he studied his baby brother and again thanked god they were alive. "Of course kid, were all sticking together." Scott ruffled Alan's flaxen hair and dragged him into a hug. "More than one hug in a day, you're getting soft in your old age Scott." Alan laughed and pulled himself out of Scott's arms and began to swiftly walk away. "You just watch it kiddo." Scott said, trying not to smile, Alan noticed his 'fatherly' voice was used.  
  
"Hey why don't we get back inside, grandma's making cookies and Gordon's bored of fixing your Thunderbird now she's home he say's its your job". Scott walked down to where Alan stood and placed his arm around him.  
  
"Sure, but your helping me fix TB3 or you don't get any cookies." Both boys started walking down the grassed slope back to villa just as the sky rumpled with thunder and bolts of lighting lit the sky.  
  
'A storm's brewing.' At the same time as that though flashed through the youngest Tracy's mind, a smile spread on the face of a man on the other side of the world as he gently pushed in the last piece of explosive material.  
  
"International Rescue will pay the price for escaping my first plan, this time I am going to deal with them personally."  
  
The eldest and youngest Tracy's just walked in to the lounge at the perfect time to here the voice come through the radio which had been used to redirect the calls to Thunderbird 5 while John was on Earth.  
  
"Calling International Rescue, Calling International Rescue..."  
  
"Now you will come to me International Rescue!" The Hood laughed as he slipped his voice concealing devise back into his pocket along with his radio.  
  
Sorry if it wasn't great I am in planning for the next part.  
  
Thank you for reading. 


End file.
